In our previous post, regarding HBC Elder discipline of James MacDonald following questions over the management of Harvest Bible Fellowship funds, we stated that we would unpack the details of this audit process and the questions raised by the HBF leadership. Since that post HBF has rebranded, and it is now known as Great Commission Collective (GCC). The authors of TED have debated how best to tell this story. In short, rather than have us tell you the story and interpret the facts for you, we have decided that the story is best understood from someone who was “in the room” during this process. Here is his testimony … with our standard set of questions.

A brief bit of background and context for the letter. The author is David Wisen, Teaching Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel Spring Lake, MI. More significantly, he is part of the Van Kampen family through marriage, and he was President of Van Kampen Asset Management Co., a multi-million dollar organization, founded by his father-in-law, Robert Van Kampen.

As you may recall, the Van Kampen family have been substantial contributors to James MacDonald’s ministry from the wealth they built through their real estate business. Their contributions have been worth tens of millions of dollars, including the donation of the Camp Harvest and its facilities. Therefore, Wisen is not merely a former HBF (GCC) pastor. He is a singular source of extraordinary wealth that James has used to bolster his empire.

To be clear, we have no reason to believe that Wisen speaks for the whole of the former HBF/GCC, which we understand has its own governing board. Moreover, we have no idea where he will stand tomorrow on the very matters that are in question in the letter that follows. Should he, or other GCC pastors elect to “reconcile,” such “reconciliation” would require a detailed accounting for how these matters are no longer a concern to the public. In other words, a mere photo-op on Instagram will not suffice. Furthermore, what is plain to us from HBC sources is this: certain pastors of GCC churches remain “loyal” to James MacDonald, while other GCC pastors seemingly share Wisen’s criticisms. So, here is the letter sent by Wisen to fellow pastors of the GCC, and this letter, according to our source, has been distributed to several key individuals in HBC leadership.